Good Morning Britain flooded with complaints as Susanna Reid remark sparks outrage

The presenter faced extensive backlash from viewers.

The presenter sparked major backlash (Image: ITV)

Good Morning Britain viewers slammed Susanna Reid as she entered a fierce debate with her co-host Ed Balls. Monday’s show came one day after the BAFTAs, which celebrated some of the most acclaimed films and performances of the past year. This included I Swear, which tells the true story of John Davidson, a Scottish man with severe tourette’s syndrome.

The film was praised for highlighting the condition, however, it was that very condition that was blamed for a controversial moment at the awards ceremony, when a racial slur was shouted from the audience, allegedly by John, while Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage.

In the Good Morning Britain studio, Kate Garraway said “it’s lovely to have a Brit winner” after Robert Aramayo won Best Actor for his portrayal of John, beating the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet and Ethan Hawke.

But the presenter appeared distracted, admitting she was “thinking about the language” heard in the footage.

She recognised that having tourette’s means you have an inability to control your ticks, which leads some to making comments that are “completely unacceptable”, but reminded viewers that this is the result of the disability.

Susanna acknowledged that host Alan Cummings apologised for the slur, which she claimed “caused a lot of concern”, but posed the question: “There’s plenty of people watching who say, ‘Why should a racial slur ever be accepted or simply brushed away?”

Ed was quick to disagree, explaining: “There’s two different issues. If this racial slur was said at the awards ceremony, it shouldn’t have been broadcast.”

Susanna agreed: “It’s a delay of two hours so a lot of people were saying, ‘Why was it broadcast at all?’”

Highlighting another side of the debate, Ed said: “The guy who has tourette’s, apologising for his disability is not fair or right. It’s not in his control. If it was me, I would have bleeped out the racial slur and not had the apology.”

Susanna hit back: “But it’s absolutely vital that you apologise for it. A racial slur is always something presumably that needs to be apologised for.”

The discussion intensified as Ed questioned what the apology would actually be directed at.

“They ought to have apologised for having it on the programme, but apologising for the gentleman with tourette’s, you can’t apologise for his disability,” he declared.

After a clip of Alan’s apology was played, Ed admitted he didn’t agree with it because “I don’t think you should apologise for somebody who has tourette’s.”

Doubling down on her claims, Susanna replied: “I think you should always apologise if an utterly offensive racial slur is used.”

Good Morning Britain fans were gobsmacked by Susanna’s remarks as one wrote online: “So it doesn’t matter where, or from whom, the racial slur was issued ? -Even if it was written on a piece of paper or produced by AI or… shouted out by someone with tourettes.. Susanna says SOMEONE has to apologise ??”

Another fumed: “So the actor in the film regarding Tourette’s wins an award but Susannah states that we need to apologise for the consequence of that disability in real life #GMB.”

Also slamming the ITV host, another shared: “If there was ever any doubt that Reid knows sweet FA about what she’s talking about, her little rant on Tourette’s (or should I say “the consequences” of the disability) should remove any shred of doubt left. Someone get her a ladder for the huge hole she just dug herself.”

A fourth echoed: “Susanna Reid playing the ultimate virtue signalling clown once again! The racism tops the disability does it?! I’ve heard it all now! Does she know how Tourette’s Syndrome ticks works? She knows that these ticks and outbursts cannot be helped right?”